England could face World Cup minnows day before 2026 tournament in stadium that has hosted Super Bowl

England won’t be short of match practice once the World Cup begins.

The Three Lions’ campaign begins on June 17, when they face Group L rivals Croatia.

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However, there is a six-day gap from the first game of this year’s tournament, which will be between Mexico and South Africa, and England’s opener.

The large difference in tournament start dates has left the Football Association (FA) up against it to secure high quality opposition for their warm-up fixtures.

According to The Sun, England will contest two friendlies prior to the Croatia clash, with games pencilled in on June 6 and June 10.

England headed to the home of the Bucs

The report adds the first of the warm-up games will be played against New Zealand in Tampa Bay, with the contest likely to be played at Raymond James Stadium, home of NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccanneers.

Raymond James Stadium, which seats just over 69,000, played host to Super Bowl LV in 2020, which was won by the Buccaneers.

It was the third time the Tampa-based venue hosted the NFL’s showpiece match.

As for New Zealand, they begin their World Cup adventure on June 15 against Iran at SoFi Stadium.

Colloquially known as the All Whites, New Zealand are 85th in the FIFA rankings and boast Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood in their ranks.

But the fact they are one of the later nations to start their campaign and not in England’s group meant they were one of the few options available for a warm-up match.

The condensed pre-tournament friendly schedule is partly down to FIFA regulations.

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Nations participating in the tournament are prevented from contesting a friendly in the five days prior to their first match.

It represents a slight tweak on the previous regulations, which banned teams from playing a warm-up fixture 48 hours before the tournament began.

The change was introduced to reflect the expanded nature of this year’s World Cup, which features 48 nations rather than 32.

England’s pre-World Cup preparations

England’s second warm-up opponent is yet to be reported, although the match is also set to take place in Florida, where they will be based for a pre-tournament camp.

Following the friendlies, Tuchel and his troops will jet over to Kansas City, where they will be based for the World Cup.

Ahead of the tournament, England will host Uruguay and Japan in the final international window.

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The Three Lions play Uruguay on March 27 and Japan on March 31, with both fixtures to take place at Wembley Stadium.

Although both games are friendlies, the players selected by Tuchel will be desperate to impress as they look to make their case for inclusion in the German’s World Cup squad.